As soon as I faded back into this world from the ether, I collapsed to one knee, holding myself up with one hand on the ground as I caught my breath. Without the adrenaline from a fight or other urgent situation to dull my senses, I could really feel the drain from using that summon. But more than that, looking at the wake of destruction made me a bit nauseous. To say nothing of the sight of those things doing what they do. It was bad enough watching tens of thousands of them swarm through the area devouring everything in sight, I also got to witness them puking up more of their own kind before the whole lot of them fading back into the ether themselves.

Would the summon be more destructive the next time, bringing even more parasprites to bear? It was hard to imagine. I was glad I had moved toward the center of the patch of Everfree I planned to claim, as the area around me was now completely clearcut, not even so much as a stump left behind of the numerous trees and other plants. Whatever animals had hoped to hide among the foliage were gone now, one way or another. I liked to think they had escaped. There were no bones left behind to prove me wrong.

On the plus side, the cleared area was enough to build my house in. I grabbed my heavy work gloves and pulled them on, wondering at how well Rarity had done in their construction. Ponies didn't even have hands, or anything remotely similar, and the fashionista rarely worked in heavy leather, yet she had made these full leather gloves not only comfortable and effective, but still had attention left over for details like making sure the color complimented my overalls, and stitching the pattern of the buster sword into the backs of the gloves. Since the Element of Magic had taken on that image, the sword's likeness had come to represent me in much the way a cutie mark represented a pony.

The Apples had lent me some tools, as many as I could fit in my new backpack, and I started putting them to use, glad I had gloves now to keep my hands off of handles I knew ponies had used by mouth. They were remarkably dexterous with the things, and surprisingly good at keeping slobber off of things, and had probably washed the tools since, but I still preferred having gloves. Even without considering where the tools had been, good leather gloves were always a good choice for heavy manual labor.

I got to work with a shovel first, digging out a large square of earth where I would lay my foundation. It was a hard day's work, even with mako. Construction equipment, or even help, would make a huge difference. But I was fit, mako enhanced, and determined. I stopped only to eat and drink, before finally dragging myself away.

Exhausted, I stopped at Fluttershy's cottage and knocked on the door, leaning against the door frame until the pegasus answered.

"Hello?" she asked before looking up at me. "Oh, Cloud! What brings you here? Pew... what have you been up to?" she said, wrinkling her nose, but looking away, as though ashamed to have admitted my odor was distasteful.

"It's okay, Fluttershy, I know I reek. I was wondering if I could use your shower before heading back to Sweet Apple Acres. For that matter, a bit of rest here would be quite welcome," I said.

"Oh, of course! Please do," she said, inviting me in. "I'd like it if you stayed for tea with me."

"That would be great," I said, looking about the cottage for a bit.

"The bathroom is upstairs," she reminded me.

"Ah, right, thank you," I said as I started toward the staircase. A rabbit blocked my path, looking cross at me, so I stepped over it and kept going. The small animal might not appreciate an intruder into its domain, but I wasn't going to be deterred by a bunny. This seemed to annoy it so it darted ahead of me and blocked my path, standing on a stair with forelimbs spread wide. Again, my long legs carried me over it easily. If I'd been in a dress, it might have been some kind of issue, but my overalls hugged my legs well enough, and I cleared it easily. The third time he tried to bar me, looking like he was getting ready to attack, I finally spoke up. "Um, Fluttershy, is there something wrong with your rabbit friend?"

"Angel bunny, that's no way to treat a guest," Fluttershy scolded gently. "Cloud is just going to use the shower to freshen up."

As I stepped over the bunny once again, it started gesturing to the mare, looking like it was conveying some pretty advanced thoughts for an animal. And Fluttershy seemed to understand it, filling the air with 'oh my's and 'goodness'es while I locked myself into the bathroom, started the water and began to strip. Whatever the creature had to say about me would wait until I was clean, as far as I was concerned.

Once I was clean, I slipped into the cotton dress I had stuffed into the bottom of my back, frowning a bit at how wrinkly it had become, but at least it wasn't soaked in sweat. It would have to be good enough for the tea party. I giggled at the thought, then giggled again at the fact that I had actually giggled. How much of a girl was I now, enjoying slumber parties and tea parties with my marefriends? Life was strange. But it was good, wasn't it? I felt like the worst I had to worry about in life was whether my marefriend would shape and turn our one, aborted date into a real relationship or I would need to dump her even after she went and involved a princess, however tangentially, in our so called love life.

'What happened to dreams and honor?'

"I have those, don't I? I'm the leader of the Elements of Harmony," I told the mirror, looking into those dimly glowing blue eyes.

'Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams.'

"Building a house... dating a mare who's more into herself than me... are these all I can manage for dreams these days?" I asked. The hair in the mirror begged to be styled, so I did what I could. I was never very good with it, but the effort made a clear difference.

"Coming, Cloud?" Fluttershy's voice drifted up to me, shaking me from my reverie. I was good enough from a simple tea party. I just hoped Celestia didn't find a way to invite herself in. I chuckled to myself as I made the way down the stairs. Maybe I should date her. Was that an ambitious enough dream? I worried briefly that my wayward mind might actually dream that tonight. Would Nightmare Moon dismiss that as 'normal'?

I took a seat at the table, across from Fluttershy, thanking her for the tea before taking a light sip. Angel Bunny glared at me from another seat as it munched on a cucumber sandwich.

"So, Cloud. I hate to bring up uncomfortable topics at a tea party," Fluttershy began, I looked at her expectantly and she wilted, unable to continue.

"Sounds like it must be important if you even got that far," I said. "Don't worry, I'm tough enough to survive an uncomfortable conversation. What's on your mind."

"Oh, well, Angel Bunny here was just concerned that you might be, well, doing a lot of damage to the woodlands. Lots of creatures call that place home, you know?" Fluttershy said. "I know you're trying to make a home for yourself too, but maybe you could be just a teensie bit more careful?"

I nodded, setting my teacup down. "I used the parasprites to help clear some land. They were a lot more effective than I expected... you know how the parasprites can get? I don't think I'll be using them again."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you Cloud. So you won't be harming any more trees or other plants then?"

"I can't quite promise that," I said. "I'll need a clear path to town, and enough lumber to build the building itself. Is it the plants you're worried about?"

"Well, no, but I am worried about the animals who live there. Maybe I could help you work around the ones with creatures living in them? Or at least get them to move first?" she inquired.

"That'd be great. We should spend more time together, outside of training. You make the best tea," I complimented.

"Why, thank you!" she said sweetly.

As we exchanged smiles, I quietly wished I had a marefriend who could appreciate nice, quiet, pleasant times together. Though at least I had no desire to date Fluttershy. She was a good friend, and I enjoyed her company as such, but she was too timid. She reminded me of Aeris, but at least the young woman had been tough enough to be confident by my side. The slums will do that to a person. Still, I knew Fluttershy had strength within her, when she needed to draw on it.

I shook my head. I really needed to stop thinking about everypony I knew in terms of dating potential.

"Is something the matter, Cloud?" Fluttershy asked, sounds of concern clear in her voice. That wasn't helping.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about Rainbow Dash and me," I said. "Our last date didn't go so smoothly, but she seems to want to try for another. You know her better than I do, what do you think of her?"

"Oh, yes, I've known her since I was a little filly, just learning how to fly," she said. "Some colts were teasing me, and she swooped in to protect me, even though we didn't really know each other yet. She can be very kind, but she doesn't always like to show it."

"That's a big part of the problem," I said. "She likes to only show her bluster and bravado. I can appreciate a bit of self confidence at times, but it's too much, too often with her. I want to get to know the rest of her."

"I bet she's just nervous," Fluttershy suggested.

"Really?" I asked. "She doesn't seem like it."

Fluttershy giggled a bit. "Everypony is afraid of something. Rainbow is afraid of anypony knowing she's afraid." She took a moment to eat a cucumber sandwich while I considered that. "She's also afraid of losing you, I think. She respects you, more than almost anypony. But I don't think she knows if you respect her the same way."

"So, she's just trying too hard to earn my approval?" I asked. "She just wants to know I think she's awesome."

"Right," Fluttershy nodded. "I hope that helps! You both deserve to have a special somepony in your lives."

"I think it just might," I said hopefully.

The next morning, I brought a wheelbarrow with me, several heavy bags of cement mix inside, and a couple of empty barrels stacked precariously on top. Making a good foundation was, after all, the key to making a good solid structure that would stand up to heavy weather, especially wild weather.

It was all coated with a light dusting of snow by the time I left town and entered the Everfree, where it was still sunny and a little on the warm side. Ponyville had snow scheduled every day for the next few months; much of it the first week to get the ground cover started, but they liked to ease into it on the first day to give ponies a gentle reminder that winter was starting. The Everfree, however, obeyed no such schedule, and would snow when it damn well felt like it. It was actually kind of ironic. For all the cool breezes I felt wafting by as I worked the land, the snow seemed to be positively kept at bay.

Bumping unsteadily across the uncleared terrain, I made my way somewhat blindly, only really able to make out tree trunks above my tall load. But brute force and mechanical advantage worked together to get me through it until I got out into the clearing, no tree trunks looming ahead at all. I turned the wheelbarrow off to the side to give myself a clear view, and froze, staring at the sight before me.

Grass covered the entire clearing, even the hole I had dug, though it was still clearly a depression. Vines wound along the ground. A few small bushes dotted the area, and a few tall sticks that I guessed were day old saplings. I caught hints of movement, small animals exploring the modified terrain.

Fluttershy made the most adorably ridiculous security guard of all time. She even wore a little orange vest and a cute little blue hat as she patrolled the clearing, gently shooing animals out of the area. Plants, however, had no such mobility, despite all evidence to the contrary. I went at them with axe and shovel, clearing them all out of the hole so that I could start mixing and pouring concrete. I was glad the weather was cooperating at least.

Until it didn't.

"Look Cloud, I know you're my marefriend, but I'm a bit busy rolling out winter to be spending time on special favors like this," Rainbow complained.

"You were napping when I found you," I pointed out.

"A very important power-nap between bouts of... okay, fine, I can help out," Rainbow said. "But you owe me," she said before darting into the sky and shoving all of the rain clouds out of the way, clearing the sky over the clearing and a good distance out in all directions.

I rolled my eyes. "And how would you like to be repaid, Dash?" I asked.

"Oh, that's a surprise," she said before darting down and offering me a slip of paper. "Be at this address as quickly after sunset as you can manage. And dress like you mean it."

"'Dress like I mean it'?" I questioned, but she was already out of earshot. Did she just ask me out on another date?

Once the concrete had dried enough to leave it unattended, I left. I had to tap into my mako a bit to clear the distance to Sweet Apple Acres in time to shower there and get into my nice, silk dress. It brought back a whole other set of memories as I looked at myself in the mirror. Tifa... I hope you made it out okay.

Well, 'miss Cloud', at least you have a whole lot better of a date to look forward to than Don Corneo.

It was difficult to leave my sword behind, knowing that trouble could spring up at the worst of times, but until Rarity figured out how to make me look fabulous while properly armed I would just have to make do with mako-backed punches and kicks if anything came up on my date.

I made it into town just after the jarring transition that was the Equestrian sunset, stumbling a moment in the sudden dark as the sun dove under the horizon, before my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light from the moon. It would be harder to read street signs in the dim light, but I knew where this particular street was, even if I didn't quite remember why until I arrived. The address lead me to Vinyl Scratch's home. It was hard to forget a building you put a hole in with your head, even if I didn't know the mare who lived within all that well. Mares: that's right, she had a roommate I knew even less well.

I arrived before the door, but as I lifted my hand to knock a spotlight suddenly turned on from directly overhead. It was hard to make out the source but after a while I realized the light was somehow embedded into a cloud. This should have surprised me less, given my date.

While I was trying to figure that out, music began to play. There was a speaker system up on the roof, Vinyl barely visible behind it, especially with the light arranged the way it was. She wasn't hiding, per se, but she wasn't meant to be seen.

Rainbow Dash's voice drifted down from the cloud, even as the pegasus herself did. She was clad in a deep blue silk dress, Rarity's workmanship quite evident in the multicolored highlights that shimmered and flowed with the beating of her wings. Her singing voice was beautiful, even if the lyrics struck me as a bit cheesy. The up-tempo beat Vinyl was providing didn't lend itself the best to a romantic atmosphere, but it did seem to fit Dash rather well. And I certainly couldn't say she wasn't trying.

When the song ended, she let her hind hooves touch ground, her wings helping to keep her nearly upright as she offered me her front hooves. "Can I have this dance?" she inquired, as a deeper, stringed instrument began to play a slower, gentler melody. Nodding, I hugged her to me, as we began to dance more than a little awkwardly. I let Dash lead, doing my best to follow, simply letting the music guide our bodies.

"So, what do you think?" she asked quietly once we had slipped into the rhythm.

"It's quite the gesture," I said. "I can see you put some real thought and effort into it, and the music is quite nice. I was particularly impressed to hear your singing voice; much better than my own, I'm sure." I liked the look of her smile, but thought I could maybe get it a bit bigger. "It's awesome. You're awesome."

Perhaps it was overkill, as she blushed hard and looked away at the last bit of praise. "You know, you're pretty awesome yourself, Cloud. I mean, actually taking on the Everfree like that? You've got guts. And I've seen you run."

It was my turn to blush, though I didn't look away. I drew her close and met her in a kiss, instead. This was Rainbow at her finest as a marefriend. This was the potential I wanted to believe in. There, in that cone of light, every misstep was cast aside and left behind.

It was a beautiful moment, but it soon ended with the song fading out. "So... I got us a room at the inn," Rainbow said with a nervous grin.

Rainbow's body felt nice, the large, warm, furry torso pressed against my own bare skin, legs entwined with my own limbs. My own afterglow was keeping me in a pleasantly tranquil state, even if it hadn't knocked me out like hers had. The snoring, on the other hand, would take some getting used to.

Unfortunately, it made sleep impossible for me, at least for a time, and gave me plenty of time to think as I watched the frost spread slowly across the window. Tonight had been great. Trixie would have approved of the level of stagecraft in that serenade. Her singing voice really was beautiful, to say nothing of what else she could accomplish with her tongue. Maybe things were finally turning around for us?

I smiled gently as I stroked the sleeping pegasus' multicolored mane, reflecting further on the past hours' activities. A year ago, if I'd been asked to describe how I would lose my virginity, I don't think I would have gotten a single detail right. Not a single damn one.